In 1969, a force of British paratroopers,
marines and London "Bobbies" invaded the tiny, obscure island of Anguilla
to "quell" a rebellion -- a rebellion over Anguilla's status as a colony
of Great Britain. It should be noted here that Anguilla lost the revolution
and retained it's status as a colony (though it's now a self governing
British territory and is known as a British Associated State) -- which
was exactly what the peoples of Anguilla wanted!

In 1997, an obscure traveler invaded
the tiny island of Anguilla -- still a colony of the British crown -- to
see if all he had read and heard of this island was true. And, this traveler
can say unequivocally that he found it to be everything -- and much, much
more! (Please note that despite having previously visited more than half
of the Caribbean countries, I fell totally and completely in love with
Anguilla, whatever it's governmental status!)

Anguilla
- At First Look

As the plane dropped down and began
its approach into St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport,
I looked out the port-side window and glimpsed my destination on the horizon.
It lay upon the calm blue of the Caribbean like a sea serpent, causing
me to recall that on his second voyage to the New World, Columbus had so
aptly named it "the eel" -- Anguilla -- because of its eely or reptile-like
appearance. It snaked its way to the northeast, low on the horizon -- the
highest point on the whole island is just a scant 213 feet above the level
of the sea around it -- with soft, sugar-white beaches looking like precious
pearl necklaces ringing around the edges.

While the name conjured up by Columbus
still remains today, Ol' Christopher wasn't actually the first person to
"discover" the island. There have been archeological finds on the island
that give evidence that it was inhabited as far back as two thousand years
ago by Amerindians who called the island "Malliouhana". This name has been
perpetuated in modern times, with it being adopted by shops and at least
one resort.

I had read and heard much about this
most northerly of the Leeward Islands and now I was finally going to have
my maiden initiation to this island -- one who's inhabitants still today
firmly fight to hold back the exodus toward modernization that so many
other of its near neighbors have simply accepted, and which has irrevocably
changed not only the face of those islands, but has changed the total ambiance
of them as well. And, I found the reluctance of those people to rush hurly-burly
toward a plethora of strip shopping centers and a gaggle of gambling casinos
and a herd of high-rise hotels, has afforded retention of a charm that's
seldom seen in the Caribbean today.

Fine Friends
Are Hard To Find

I had the good luck to know someone
who had searched the islands of the Caribbean to find that "perfect spot"
to ultimately be his retirement home and he had graciously invited me to
experience the lazy island life firsthand. He had said, "Jim, you've spent
a lot of time in Jamaica. Now, I want you to come and see MY island! I
think one visit will provide you with a new knowledge of what Caribbean
islands 'used' to be like -- and I don't think you will ever be able to
look at other islands in the same way again."

So, here we were, flying into the St.
Maarten airport, there to meet our host who was scheduled to arrive just
a scant fifteen minutes after my plane touched down. He was flying from
Toronto, while we'd taken a flight that originated in Charlotte. I looked
forward to seeing him again, since it had been more than six months since
we initially met in his hometown of Toronto at a gathering -- a "bash"
-- of CompuServe members and staff of The Travel Forum and The Caribbean
Travel Forum.

Daryl Gurvey
is imposing. The very first time I met him, in his office in Toronto, where
he oversees his many companies, I was immediately struck by the fact --
to my eye -- of how much he resembled a young Ernest Hemingway. I commented
on this and thereby immediately christened him with the nickname of "Papa"
-- a name that has become part of his on-line persona as the section leader
on The Caribbean Travel Forum of CompuServe.

Traveling
To St. Maarten

The flight down wasn't necessarily
an experience -- just a routine trip to the Caribbean. We -- my wife, Nina
and I -- had gotten to Charlotte on time and the transit from our arrival
gate, via a commuter plane, was just up the escalator and across the hall
to the international departure gate. Our US Air flight was right on time
and we had gotten seats on the exit row, though we sat across from each
other in aisle seats. The weather en route was calm and as pretty a day
as I have ever experienced.

St. Maarten

Our arrival at St. Maarten's airport
wasn't a problem, but we did encounter the most exasperating and time consuming
immigration check-in I have ever experienced anywhere in the Caribbean,
or the rest of the world, for that matter. (Unbeknownst to me, that was
to be the prelude to yet another excruciating experience -- departure from
that selfsame airport a week later.) There was one bright spot -- there
was absolutely no customs inspection whatsoever. Therefore, once past the
immigration officer's perfunctory stamping of our passports, we only had
to fight the crowd -- it was almost a mob -- clogging the luggage recovery
area. (That provides yet another reason why folks shouldn't check luggage
on a Caribbean trip.)

Daryl's Air Canada flight had touched
down while we were waiting to clear customs. But he didn't actually reach
the terminal until we had exited the luggage area, so we simply waited
for him to walk out through the final gate -- and there he was! We shook
hands warmly, I introduced Nina to our host and my friend -- and we hurried
for a taxi van to travel the short distance to the ferry docks -- in the
separate country of St. Martin. (I'm always intrigued that two completely
different countries can have a presence on such a small island. Dutch St.
Maarten has all the gambling -- but French St. Martin has all the nude
beaches!)

When we got aboard the taxi van, a
pretty young lady was already there and an inquiry resulted in her sharing
the information that her new husband -- they had been married just that
morning and were to honeymoon on St. Martin -- didn't have proper documentation
and the airlines had absolutely refused to allow him to fly until he got
it. So, the bride was all alone and the groom wasn't expected to arrive
until the next morning!

It was too bad, since I understood
from the girl that her husband did have an expired US passport and most
countries do accept those, as long as the expiration is within a reasonable
time -- a year possibly. The van dropped the new bride off at a small,
downtown Marigot hotel and we were off to the ferry dock.

By Ferry
To Anguilla

Upon our arrival, the next ferry was
just about to depart, so the three of us hurried aboard for the short five
mile, twenty minute, ferry ride across the Anguilla Channel from Baie Nettle
to the Anguillan port of Blowing Point.

NOTE: A note
to anyone who plans to travel to Anguilla by ferry -- make certain to fill
out the Anguillan Embarkation/Disembarkation Form prior to the boat fully
leaving the Marigot Harbor! The waves can get rough in the Anguilla Channel
-- if there is a stiff wind blowing and it's difficult, if not almost impossible,
to write with one hand and hold on with the other!

I had purposefully purchased a really
good bottle of a local wine from the vineyards of the Biltmore Estate,
in the mountains of nearby North Carolina, to take to Daryl. I knew he
was something of a wine lover. As we started to pass through Anguillan
customs at Blowing Point, the customs inspector asked if I was bringing
in any gifts. Not wanting to spoil my surprise gift, I leaned over and
whispered in her ear, "Yes, I have a bottle of wine and it's a gift for
our host, who is standing next to me."

She smiled and waved us through. And,
when she did, Daryl was waved through right behind us, without her asking
him any questions! But, as our government says, "Don't ask -- Don't tell!"
Despite Daryl being Canadian -- he utilized that approach and walked right
on. (Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, he wasn't smuggling in anything
-- it was just that it was a funny experience and we all laughed about
it after we had cleared the port!)

Immediately after exiting the gates
at the port, we were met by Daryl's very charming
and beautiful wife, Gayle. A
Canadian, Gayle opted to live on the island in the double villa she and
Daryl purchased a few years ago. She stays on-island most of the time,
with trips back to Toronto in the mid to late summer. In addition, Gayle
has a really nice, upscale boutique located at South Hill called"Curiosity"
and
she travels to the States and Canada on buying trips occasionally. Daryl
has a number of companies in Canada and must be in Toronto much of the
time to oversee these operations. He flies down to the island about a week
a month. They plan to live full time on-island as soon as Daryl retires.

Bayberry
And Chinaberry

The double villa was originally built
by an American expatriate woman and as soon as Gayle and Daryl saw it,
they decided it was exactly what they were looking for -- having visited
many Caribbean islands in search of "just the right place" to settle down.
I must admit, their villa is something to behold!

The villa is located just a few minutes
from Blowing Point in an area that is known as Cul
de Sac. Actually built as two separate buildings
joined by a common courtyard, Bayberry is
the main house and Chinaberry is
the adjoining guest house. The two houses provide two sides for the courtyard,
while a beautiful Spanish wall stretches across the front and a raised
parapet walkway, connecting the two structures across the back, completes
the enclosed area. Gayle has done a masterful job of decorating both houses,
as well as overseeing the gardenscaping of the tiled courtyard and all
of the landscaping of the yards outside the walls.

We spent the week in Chinaberry. It
contains a huge living area, with a king size bed replete with ceiling-hung
netting to ward off the stray insect from making a morsel of an outstretched
leg or arm. There is a compact, yet fully functional, kitchen and breakfast
area and both the living area and the kitchen had ceiling fans -- and the
breezes completely eliminate the need for air conditioning. There is a
day bed that doubles as a couch and a lounge chair and settee of rattan
complete the seating. In addition, there is a television set connected
to the local cable.

There's a beautiful step-down bath
and toilet area with an open-air shower. The living area opens out upon
the parapet walk, with its own outdoor chairs and a round table with an
umbrella, to provide shade from the tropical sun. The walk looks out on
Rendezvous Bay to the west and the sunsets viewed
from this vantage point are as magnificent as any I've ever seen anywhere.

Gayle And
Daryl - Hospitable Hostess And Host

I can't say enough about the gracious
hospitality of Gayle and Daryl. We had occasion to dine with them a couple
of nights, and Gayle invited us to a delicious dinner on our first night
on-island. In addition to us, they had invited Barbara
and Roger, a charming British couple who have
lived on Anguilla for some years now.

While the others were inside enjoying
a cool drink, I chanced to chat with Roger on the parapet and he enthralled
me with his knowledge of the history of Anguilla. He is controller and
general factotum at the Anguilla Great House Resort.
In addition, in the past, he has performed in the capacity of tour guide
from time to time at Great House and has a wonderful knowledge of the evolution
of the island and, more recently, the revolution that Anguilla staged against
Great Britain -- a totally bloodless revolution that Anguilla completely
won, following the "invasion" by British paramilitary units -- a classic
example of "the mouse that roared"! I was especially enthralled with his
accounts of the history of the island and the revolution.

An Anguillan
Legend

The following day, I had an opportunity
to actually meet one of the men who was part and parcel of the revolution
- one Jeremiah Gumbs.
Jerry is the person who built one of the original resorts on the island
-- Rendezvous Bay Resort --
and he still lives there and, though he was to celebrate his eighty- fourth
birthday on February 18, 1997, just a scant week following our meeting,
he still is hale and hearty. He sports a full beard and has been called
the "Anguilla Santa Claus". There was a photograph of Jerry on the cover
of the current Anguillan Life magazine, showing him tanned and bearded,
swimming in the waters of Rendezvous Bay, something he does every day.

I enjoyed my conversation with Jerry
and found out all of the contributions he had made to his native island.
While we were talking, Jerry mentioned that he had served in the US Army
and been stationed at a "Camp Croft." I hastened to tell him that I knew
exactly where Camp Croft had been, in Spartanburg, South Carolina! I think
he was completely surprised to find somebody who actually knew of the long-gone
army base.

He said that for some years he had
been trying to find somebody to help him contact someone who he had known
as a young soldier -- a lady named Hortense Potts,
who had lived in East Flat Rock, North Carolina. He had never been able
to find a single soul who had even heard of East Flat Rock! I told him
that I not only had heard of it -- but that East Flat Rock was no more
than 45 miles from where I lived! I used his phone and called directory
assistance for that area and obtained a phone number, but when I called
it, there was no answer. I promised I would make an effort to locate Mrs.
Potts -- if she was still alive -- and put Jerry in touch with her.

Mission
Accomplished

As Paul Harvey would say, "Now, the
rest of the story!"

A week after my return from Anguilla,
I drove up to the mountains of North Carolina on a sunny, Sunday afternoon.
I thought if nothing else, I might be able to find someone who could either
put me in touch with Mrs. Potts -- or tell me what might have happened
to her.

I happened to stop at a country convenience
store along the highway and asked the clerk if she knew of a Hortense Potts.
She appeared to be more than a little apprehensive about telling a stranger
anything about anybody in those parts, but responded that she did know
of such a person. I asked if Mrs. Potts was still living, whereupon she
guardedly volunteered, "She was -- when she was in here last week!" I then
explained why I was attempting to find Mrs. Potts -- for my friend on a
tiny Caribbean island. The clerk then quickly detailed exactly what roads
I should take and which turnoffs to make and said, "Mrs. Hortense lives
in the first house -- a yellow one -- on the left after the curve!"

I followed the instructions, found
the house just as it was described, drove up the driveway and went to the
door. A beautiful lady opened the door and said, "Hello. What can I do
for you?" I replied, "Are you Mrs. Hortense Potts?" When she affirmed that
she was indeed, I told her I was looking for her -- to put her in touch
with Jeremiah Gumbs! She said she was delighted and that her sister had
just that morning been wondering what could have possibly happened to Jerry,
after all those years of not having heard anything about him. Suffice to
say, when I later called Jerry and gave all the information to his son,
Alan, I got my just reward -- a warm feeling that I had done something
good for somebody!

First Impressions
of Anguilla

It's difficult to express in words
what I felt when we first arrived. To try to fully explain what Anguilla
is like, would take a much longer time than I currently have for this account.

I was impressed with everything I saw
and every person I met on Anguilla. It is, as Daryl had said, just the
way most Caribbean islands were or had been in years gone by -- laid back,
unhurried, friendly, interesting, historic -- and with a total ambiance
that I have never experienced on any other island or in any other country
in my travels.

There is little of the apparent abject
poverty that is so prevalent and noticeable on other islands in the Caribe
Basin. Chalk that up to the fact that the people of Anguilla are very proud
and very conscious of their homes and property. In addition, the people
of the island are very religious and on a Sunday, few folks will be seen
out and about -- it's a day of rest and a time for families to be together.

Most of the houses are well maintained
and have well tended yards. The roads, while in need of some minor repairs
-- as in most places, there are the inevitable potholes and it seems that
that is something that the locals are very verbal about - are for the most
part far above the roads on other islands.

Probably the most noticeable thing
about Anguilla is the lack of the lushness of tropical plants. There are
a few stately palm trees located in out of the way spots and along Savannah
Bay and Junks Hole Bay and there are a couple
of sparse groves of these stately trees swaying in the winds. But, for
the most part, the vegetation is low scrubby bushes and short trees reminiscent
of very dry islands, such as Cozumel.

Thanks to Anguilla's location near
some of the best fishing spots in the entire Caribbean, the island has
an abundance of local catches. The most notable are large quantities of
crayfish and spiny lobsters, both of which are delicacies and are well
known as local specialties in all of the island's restaurants and resort
dinning rooms. (I don't like to expound on meals in a trip report, but
I had a lobster at Roy's Place --
situated on the beach at Crocus Bay
-- that was so large, that even I couldn't eat it all! And, believe you
me, it was not only delicious, but as tender as it could be!)

Anguilla is a scant 16 miles long and
only 3 miles wide at it's widest point, and it gives a visitor a much different
experience from visits to the much bigger islands of the Caribe Basin.
While many, if not most, of the islands of the Caribbean have some sort
of rain forest, Anguilla has scant rain, except for the occasional occurrence
of a hurricane. While I was there, though, we experienced a couple of short
showers -- just enough to wash the sky clean and provide a sparkle to the
air that only seems to happen in the Caribbean.

The island experienced a triple whammy
in 1995 when Luis and Marilyn arrived back-to-back and then in 1996, the
island caught some of the fury of Bertha. The island's inhabitants effected
rapid recovery from all three storms, even in the face of winds that had
wreaked near havoc on the island. And luckily, these natural weather disasters
don't usually come along quite so frequently.

In addition, most of the islands in
the Caribbean archipelago tend to be volcanic in origin. However, it's
quickly evident that Anguilla was born from coral, which explains it's
lack of mountains and tall hills, that on most other islands evidence extinct
activity in now eroded volcanic mountains. I was told that Anguilla might
be thought of as actually being a coral island that is virtually floating
on it's sea mount.

Anguilla, lying as it does at the northern
extremity of the Leewards -- it is almost due east of the British Virgin
Islands and north of all the rest of the Lesser Antillean Archipelago --
the island comes under the balmy "trade winds." These winds derived their
name from the fact that it was these northeasterly winds that enabled early
explorers and merchants from Europe to easily sail to the islands and thereby
begin trade in everything from sugar to slaves.

I spent a number of days on beaches,
with names such as Rendezvous Bay and Maunday's Bay
and Shoal Bay. On the Atlantic facing-side,
the easterly winds kept trying to unseat The Tilley Hat I wore, but the
fine folks at Tilley Endurables had taken care of that -- they included
chin and neck straps for just such winds. Even on the lee, northwest-facing
side of the island, which tends to be sheltered from winds on most other
islands, there was a strong wind most days. Luckily, there was usually
a blissful wisp of wind to cool us at night.

The lack of rainfall has resulted in
little being grown in the way of crops, and almost everything must be imported
from outside the island. Additionally, the tropical vegetation that is
so prevalent on most of the islands in the area is virtually non-existent
here. There are low, scrub trees that are more reminiscent of arid locations
-- Anguilla isn't a desert island, but it's pretty close to being one.

There are few if any wells on the island
and most of the water that is used, is caught in cisterns when there is
rain. This really didn't present us with any problems while visiting --
and the water did not at all taste bad as I would have thought. In fact,
the water was very soft and we noticed that it had a totally unexpected
effect -- gold rings, bracelets and watch crystals actually looked as if
a jeweler had polished them, they shone so much. It appears that was due
to the water!

Anguilla's
Ex-Pats

Having Gayle and Daryl as friends conferred
on us the friendship of other folks who have similarly moved to this escape
from the rest of the world. We had the pleasure of meeting many of the
Anguillan "ex-pats" (expatriates) who have come to know Gayle, through
her boutique, and Daryl, from his frequent trips to the island. I've already
mentioned Barbara and Roger earlier
in this narrative. We also had the distinct pleasure of meeting
Jo-Anne (an artist of world renown), Suzanne
and Lee (Lee owns the cable TV operation on
Anguilla, as well as cable TV companies all over the Caribbean), Jacquie
(formerly
the owner of the Tropical Penguin)
and the enchanting and delightful Erica,
who
runs a very exquisite and very exclusive, gift shop at Cap
Juluca.

Anguilla's
Many Resorts

Anguilla has every kind of resort and
accommodation one could want or hope to find on such a small island. There
are accommodations that range from those that are truly regal (and which
have undoubtedly hosted royalty) to those slightly less magnificent, but
equally as good, if you're comparing them to similar resorts on most islands
of the Caribbean. Then, there are the still smaller places, which by their
very size are excellent places to spend a Caribbean vacation.

The sheer number of extremely high-end
resorts, which in my travels around the Caribbean, is far more than most
islands and exceeds all of those on near equal size islands, amazed and
awed me. I had read of resorts such as Cap Juluca and Malliouhana. These
are truly world class resorts in anybody's travel guide books! I can well
understand why these ultra resorts are so well touted, and yet in some
instances, these self same resorts would just as well be less known --
so their guests won't be hassled by the hoi polloi!

Since we didn't stay as guests at any
of the resorts, I can only provide my observations and comments on a few
below:

Cap Juluca Hotel,
Maunday's Bay -- This resort is, if not the
finest I've ever had the pleasure of seeing, certainly one of the true
world class resorts anywhere. Its location is somewhat sheltered from all
but a direct south wind and it has a stunning beach.

Malliouhana,
Meads Bay -- Located along a hillside, Malliouhana
is also a world class resort. It too is somewhat sheltered from all but
a west wind and the beach area is gorgeous.

Sonesta Beach
Resort, Rendezvous Bay -- Sonesta, with its
pink and green, Moorish architecture, might be out of place anywhere else
in the Caribbean, but it seems to fit right into the landscape on Anguilla.
The beach is grand -- and long. Formerly the Casablanca Resort, it was
reopened in 1996 as the Sonesta, following extensive repairs from hurricane
incurred damage.

Rendezvous Bay
Hotel, Rendezvous Bay -- The first real resort
on Anguilla (and the home of the original developer, Jeremiah
Gumbs, mentioned above) was Rendezvous Bay
Hotel and it still has a certain charm to it. Located on the southwest-facing
shore of Rendezvous Bay, it has a delightful beach and a choice of the
older rooms near the main building or the newer rooms directly along the
beach.

Anguilla Great
House, Rendezvous Bay -- This gracious beach
side resort was not what I expected from its name. (It isn't a "greathouse"
in the tradition of the greathouses of Jamaica and Barbados. It's gone
through two iterations in that it originally had the same name it does
now, but it was named the Pineapple Beach Club for a time.) The rooms are
in separate buildings that are located around a central garden. The beach,
on the south- facing shore of Rendezvous Bay, is as good as it gets.

For its tiny size, Anguilla is home
to a real plethora of places that serve everything from true haute cuisine
to meat patties! I sampled a fair number and I can say, without fear of
contradiction, that Anguilla's eateries are among the best I've tried anywhere
in the Caribbean. I won't attempt to enumerate all, but the following are
ones that stand out and which I would definitely recommend:

Palm Grove, Junk's
Hole -- This was one of the first places where
we dined out and combining the view of Junk's Hole Bay, with it's breakers
tumbling against the shore, with the scrumptious grilled lobsters and bread
patties, downed with a cold beer was as close to perfection as I had ever
experienced.

Ferryboat Inn,
Blowing Point -- While the Ferryboat Inn is
slightly off the beaten path -- you really need to "want" to get there
in order to find it (it is located just west of the real ferryboat landing
about a hundred yards, on Cul de Sac Road, the first road to the left as
you leave the landing, headed inland) -- the food is superb and the views
of St. Martin across the water makes a meal here one to be enjoyed. By
the way, their hamburger is "to kill for"!

Roy's Restaurant,
Crocus Bay -- I've been a lot of places and
eaten in places that most folks never get to. But, Roy's Restaurant is
one place that I would heartily recommend to everybody. The ambiance is
nice, what with the outward appearance that the place has somewhat "grown
like Topsy," and there seem to always be a number of locals who "belly
up" to the bar here. The view of the bay is great, and if you're lucky,
you might see the WindJammer 'Polynesia'
drop anchor and ferry its passengers ashore. But, it's the food that really
caught my fancy. I can truly say that I had a grilled lobster at Roy's
that I couldn't finish, it was so big!

Chatterton's
on the Beach, Cap Juluca Hotel, Meads Bay --
We had a delightful lunch at Chatterton's and I heartily recommend it to
anybody. It has two levels and you can order a la carte or serve yourself
from a wonderful buffet which contains more items than anybody could eat.

Palm Court, Cinnamon
Reef Resort -- We had the pleasure of dining
at Palm Court one evening and the food was excellent. It's somewhat difficult
to find unless you know exactly where it's located -- take the road at
the red light to the west of Wallblake Airport towards Little Harbor and
follow the signs. You won't be disappointed.

Old Cotton Gin
Ice Cream Pallor, Old Factory Plaza, The Valley --
For a cool place to grab a quick sandwich and have ice cream, the Old Cotton
Gin is my choice.

Landing Strip,
Wallblake Airport, The Valley -- Yet another
place to have a quick sandwich is the Landing Strip, the airport restaurant.
I had thought that an airport restaurant would be like those the world
over, but this small grill has sandwiches and drinks that are both good,
quick and inexpensive.

Hibernia, Island
Harbor -- You just can't find a better restaurant
than Mary Pat's Hibernia!
It's small and intimate, it's classy and the food is out of THIS world!
It's not just a meal -- it's truly an experience! I don't think I have
ever had any food better prepared or better presented than the dinner we
had on our final night on Anguilla. I think it's most fitting that Gayle
and Daryl saved the very best for last. Yes, it is a bit pricey -- I picked
up the tab that night, much to the chagrin of Daryl! But, it was worth
every cent to delightfully "dine" rather than "eat out".

Anguilla
Shopping

We didn't do a lot of touristy shopping
while on Anguilla. In the first place, we have tourist trinkets from previous
trips and have now decided we just don't need any more "junque" to lug
home and end up later either throwing it away or giving it to others. Therefore,
this trip we really didn't buy much in the way of keepsakes to take home.

The Boutique
at Malliouhana, Meads Bay -- We were invited
to an "event" at this elegant shop and found that it was without a doubt
the most upscale shop on the whole island. They were having a jewelry show
and sale, but the prices were much above my meager assets!

Curiosity, South
Hill -- As noted previously above, this is
the shop that our friend and hostess, Gayle
Gurvey, runs and while I'm not normally a
devotee of boutiques, this has something for everybody. It's located conveniently
along the main road on the left as you head toward The Valley.

L'atelier Art
Studio, North Hill -- Both the home and the
studio of Michele Lavelette,
this is a place to get prints that by a well known artist, albeit more
known in Europe than in the United States. Michele has excellent prints
and she is a charming hostess to visitors to her shop.

I have always had a bent for exploring
new places and Anguilla provided an opportunity to do just that. We drove
our rental car literally from one end of the island's 16 mile length to
the other -- and almost every possible place in between.

The main roads, as noted above, are
good and much better than those on many Caribbean islands. There are places
where the roads are not paved and in some few places, the paved roads have
some pot holes, but these are the exception rather than the rule.

The only place we found where a vehicle
may encounter problems are the unpaved roads beyond Junk's Hole, extending
to the northeastern end of the island. These dirt roads tend to be located
in clay soil and the pot holes hold water, making mud holes that can be
a major problem, given that there aren't many folks driving up that way.
A tourist getting stuck in one of these mud holes, would be in a real pickle.
However, the area does have some interesting places such as Captain's
Bay, where somebody is constructing either
a really big private residence or a new resort -- I wasn't able to find
out which.

Back to
St. Martin

All too soon, our week on Anguilla
drew to an end and it was time to look toward returning home. <Sigh>
But, suffice to say that our stay was one that neither of us will ever
forget! And, we attribute that to three things -- the graciousness of Gayle
and Daryl, the beauty of Anguilla and the many delightful people who call
this island home.

We had made prior arrangements to leave
the rental car at the ferry landing. Our US Air (now US Airways) flight
departed earlier than did Daryl's Air Canada flight, so we decided to head
on over to St. Martin ahead of him. We had agreed to try and hook up at
the airport.

We got our tickets and boarded the
ferry, but we were just late enough that we were among the last passengers
to embark. That meant that we had to settle for what seats were left --
which were inside the lower cabin. Take my advice -- try to be early enough
to board early and select the better seats in the upper, rear cabin --
at least there is more air there and less pitching! (I hated it, and Nina
experienced a bit of mal de mer and that's not something that is to be
wished on anybody!) We disembarked at the dock in St. Martin and hied a
taxi to take us to the airport. The ride was uneventful -- until we arrived
at the airport, that is!

I've traveled through a lot of airports
all over the world, but the crowds that we encountered at Princess Juliana
Airport in St. Maarten were the worst I have ever experienced. The lines
at the ticket counters were long, there was little or no air conditioning
and the air line employees were the slowest I've ever encountered. After
finally getting our boarding passes, we went into the departure lounge,
only to find it completely mobbed. It appears that every single flight
leaves within a short time frame and that means that passengers simply
have to put up with chaos.

Return
From Paradise

The flight back to Charlotte was comfortable.
But, as the plane made its takeoff roll and started climbing from the tarmac,
I looked out one last time at Anguilla. It's low profile and sparkling
white beaches stood out from the azure of the sea surrounding it. I could
just make out the villa in which we had spent our week in paradise. I could
see the roads we had explored and the villages where we had met the friendly,
yet reserved Anguillans. And, as the plane turned toward the continent,
my views of the island were cut off, to remain only in my memory. But,
the memories of our week on Anguilla will always be as clear as the waters
that surround the island and we will forever think of Anguilla as "the
way the Caribbean used to be!"

Jamaica Jim - the "Chairman of the
Hedonism Board" - and a legend in his own - MIND!